Parents

They show up to school in sagging pants and short shorts. But the dress code violators are not students — they're parents. School Board member Rosalind Osgood wants something done about it. She says she sees way too many parents show up at schools in pajamas, hair curlers and pants that fall below the waist and expose underwear. It makes it rough on those trying to uphold the dress code. As an example, she said the principal at Boyd Anderson High in Lauderdale Lakes gives students wearing sagging pants a belt to wear.

Does your child refuse to eat anything other than white foods or foods that are crunchy? If so, you are not alone. Children's eating habits tend to change with age and may vary from day to day or month to month. As a parent, your role is to provide nutritious foods to your children and encourage them to develop healthy eating habits. Avoid talking negatively about their eating habits, forcing them to eat and using food as a reward or punishment. The following are ways to help your children become more comfortable with eating a wider variety of foods and improve their diet.

Taty is a mom in the know. She plasters her thoughts at Cool Moms Cool Tips, a bilingual blog that tells parents about the fabulous products and services out there to make their lives easier, better, more efficient and zen. Originally from South America, and officially a tireless Globetrotter, Taty has been calling South Florida home for more than 15 years. coolmomscooltips.blogspot.com

Some basic advice to help kids avoid molesters: Teach kids that no one should touch them anywhere a bathing suit would cover Tell kids to say, "Stop or I'll tell" if they are touched Look for warning signs such as sleep disturbances or bedwetting Talk to your children regularly.

I am making lemonade out of lemons. It's my intent to open up all of us. The leaders. All the grown ups. All the adults. Everybody needs to do this individually. You can't have teams until you get individuals. You can't have groups until you've got committed people. Nothing works unless we're all on the same page and we all want the same thing. Today there are all kinds of causes: let's save the seals, let's save the whales, let's save the lions, let's save the ocelots. Let's save everything.

The recent letter on teen violence hit the target right on. It is not the teachers, it is not society that makes these unfortunate children turn to "stomping a child to one breath away from death." Where are the parents? Or are these parents so bludgeoned with the realities of life today that they totally dismiss their number one obligation to themselves and their children? I am blessed that I had a father and mother who disciplined me properly. They knew the difference between punishment and discipline.

The idea is interesting, if nothing else: Have teachers grade parents. That's the gist of a proposal by Rep. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, who thinks parents of students in pre-K through third grade should be graded on their involvement in their children's schools. The grade would be on report cards, with "satisfactory," "needs improvement" or "unsatisfactory" ratings. There are all sorts of tweaks that need to be made to this idea, but it just might help to get parents more involved in the education process, which can't be a bad thing.

With all the emphasis being placed on fixing our schools, I fear we are ignoring the real problem with our education system — the parents. We can't fix our schools without fixing them. David M. Cohen, Fort Lauderdale

When Frank Gill and his partner began fostering two boys, they had suffered severe neglect and abandonment at the hands of their biological mother. Today, they are healthy and happy children because of involved parents. Frank provides these children with a sense of belonging that only comes from being part of a family. With a unanimous ruling by the Third District Court of Appeal declaring the ban on adoptions by homosexuals unconstitutional, the boys can rest assured that this indeed will be their "forever family.

Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino, Aruba With a free-form pool for the kids and a casino for the adults, Hector Rivas and his family say the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino is the perfect getaway. “We've been there four times in the past six years,” said Rivas, of Tamarac. Rivas, wife Evelyn Lopez and kids Jeissmarie, 19, Jeremy 9, and Isabelle, 3, enjoy the hotel's Caribbean setting and elaborate, expansive pool. “It's very beautiful, and you get the Caribbean feel, but it's very American,” Rivas said.

Spring is officially upon us, and while April showers keep us inside, it's the perfect time of year to sit back, reflect and embark on meaningful home projects. It's also a great opportunity to talk about your family's future. After all, you have your finances in order as tax season is coming to a close, your children may be gearing up for college, and it might be your last quiet moment before summer and its busyness arrives. Future planning might not sound like the most relaxing thing to do on a rainy day, but planning for your children's future goes way beyond college and financial planning.

“I can't stand my ex.” “I never want to talk to her again.” “I hope he drops dead.” Words uttered over and over again especially in the immediate days/weeks/months after a divorce. Words that may make the parent feel better at the moment but cause damage for kids, sometimes beyond repair. Divorce is a trauma. There is no question about it. This is widely ignored because it is so common. Make no mistake about it - the psychological effects on the participants and on the children are real.

Planning for a new baby is one of the most exciting chapters of a parent's life. It's a time when you're looking forward to meeting the newest member of your family and making sure that the world they enter is joyous and peaceful. But with all of this excitement comes the stress and pressure to fully care for another human being. And if it's your first child, it'll likely be the first time you will now have a person who needs you in its purest sense. Planning and preparing for a new baby entails everything from scheduling birthing classes to planning your maternity leave, and from buying a crib to baby proofing your home.

While newborns' eyes can at first appear misaligned, most straighten within the first few months of life. But if parents start to notice babies' eyes crossing or wandering outward, upward or downward, it could be serious. The first step is to find a pediatric ophthalmologist who can rule out a problem. “The first thing we need to do is make an accurate diagnosis,” said Craig A. McKeown, M.D., professor of clinical ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Parenting roles have changed drastically in our nation, and this is a wonderful thing. We see dads with strollers, carpooling and hanging with their kids at Starbucks. They make lunches, watch Sesame Street and take their little girls to dance class. They are now amongst the ranks of the sleep-deprived with newborns and are changing diapers and making formula. This will not be a popular statement, but mothers do not always know best. Fathers play an essential role in children's development and well-being. Culturally we have grown accustomed to relying on mom's advice, mom's guidance and mom's permission.

By Heidi Stevens: The Parent 'Hood and Tribune Media Services, September 28, 2014

Your spouse wants to break up every fight between your kids. You want them to work out their differences. Who's right? Parent advice (from our panel of staff contributors) It's not necessarily wrong to break up a fight before it escalates, but that doesn't mean you have to decide who's right; they can negotiate that themselves. Civility is a good thing to enforce, whether that means stopping a fight or just getting them not to use inflammatory words like “stupid.” The message: Don't fight; work it out. - Mark Caro Some parents have more tolerance for the cacophony of kids squabbling, so the difference between these parents might just be in noise tolerance.

In case you didn't know, I am 100 percent in love with reality TV. I do have standards - no “Duck Dynasty,” Honey Boo-Boo or “Dating Naked” on my DVR. But if you scroll through the recorded shows on my DVR, you will find back-to-back episodes of the new show on Bravo, “Extreme Parenting.” When I first saw the trailers for this show, I thought, “How ridiculous can reality TV get?” My rule with new shows is to give each show two episodes to see if it interests me (my own rating Nielson rating system)